Coping with long absence

Hi

this might be more of a question for Jeff because I read somewhere he had a break from the sport for 6 years and had difficulties when he tried to pick it up again.

I had a break for 20 years, and even at my height was nowhere near where Jeff was (representing Australia in the Olympics).  But my height was a great deal higher than where I am now.  I find this causes a lot of problems.  It's disheartening to be missing shots you remember being able to get before.  It's disheartening to be losing to people that you feel you could have beaten easily before.  It can result in pushing yourself too hard, being unforgiving of mistakes, trying to hit too ambitious a shot etc...

I was just wondering if Jeff had any insights on how to make things a bit easier and smoother for those returning to the sport after a long absence and with perhaps too high an expectation of being able to return quickly to where they were before (or remember being at before).

Thanks

Ji-Soo

Hi Ji-Soo,

It can be very difficult returning to the sport after a long break. As you mentioned I had nearly 7 years away from the sport. In 2007 I had one or two hits with some friends who then encouraged me to fill in for them in a pennant match. I lost badly to players I would have certainly beaten in my prime. It was this loss that encouraged me to start having a hit on a regular basis. I started playing practice games once a week, and the consistency of playing once a week really helped my form and I felt I was playing quite well. I then joined in the Table Tennis Victoria Super League and this was my first serious competition since my break.

I think that my attitude really helped me cope in this competition. I knew that I was not going to be the best player and didn't really expect to be. I felt that my role was to push the younger guys who were now in the National team or were competing for spots in the National Team. This attitude really lifted any pressure and allowed me to enjoy playing Table Tennis. I had quite a number of good wins and only one or two bad losses.

So I think the most important thing is work out what you want out of Table Tennis and set some realistic goals. If you want to be as good a player as you once were (or even better), you need to schedule in practice and coaching sessions to allow that to happen.

I know that after 7 years out of the sport, physically I cannot move as fast as I did when I was really fit. So I can imagine that after a 20 year break, this is even more the case.  And for those of us that are older now, you may need to be smarter about things. Older players simply won't have the speed and fast footwork of a younger player but you could focus more on improving your serve for example. There are plenty of areas you can improve on over time.

For me now, I just enjoy the competition and try to do the best I can each time I play. This attitude helps me. It is no longer do or die for me. If I win a match I am pleased and if I lose then I analyse it quickly but then move on.

So the best advice I can give is set some goals, work towards them and have FUN.